Power, Pixels, & Strategy: NTT DATA's AI-Ready Datacenter Dominance

LONDON, UK – November 24, 2025 – In a move that solidifies its position at the heart of the global digital economy, NTT DATA has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Datacenter Colocation Services for the fourth consecutive time. While such accolades can become routine, this recognition arrives at a pivotal moment. The explosion of artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping enterprise needs, transforming the data center from a utility closet into the strategic engine of innovation. The real story isn't just that NTT DATA is leading; it's how its strategy directly addresses the seismic shifts driven by AI and digital risk.

The IDC MarketScape report evaluated providers on their capacity to deliver secure, scalable, and high-performance infrastructure. For modern enterprises and hyperscalers, these are no longer abstract terms. They are the bedrock requirements for competing in an era where AI workloads demand unprecedented levels of power, cooling, and connectivity. As Courtney Munroe, Research Vice President at IDC, noted, NTT Global Data Centers’ “expansive global footprint, cutting-edge cooling innovations, and strong commitment to sustainability make it a trusted partner for delivering high-performance, AI-ready infrastructure.” This points to a deeper trend: leadership in the data center market is now inextricably linked to enabling the AI revolution.

The New Bedrock: What 'AI-Ready' Infrastructure Truly Means

The term 'AI-ready' has quickly become a buzzword, but its technical implications are profound. Traditional data centers, designed for rack power densities of 10-12 kW, are ill-equipped to handle the demands of modern GPU-driven AI clusters, which can surge past 50 kW and are projected to exceed 140 kW per rack. This isn't a simple upgrade; it requires a complete architectural rethink.

NTT DATA’s strategy showcases a deep understanding of this shift. The company is aggressively investing in advanced cooling technologies that move beyond conventional air cooling. Its deployment of Liquid Immersion Cooling (LIC) and Direct Contact Liquid Cooling (DCLC) in production environments, such as its Navi Mumbai facility in India, demonstrates a practical commitment to solving the thermal challenges of AI. These systems are not only essential for preventing hardware from overheating but are also up to 30% more energy-efficient, a critical factor as power consumption skyrockets.

This focus on high-density environments is a key differentiator in a market where competitors like Equinix and Digital Realty are also racing to support AI. For instance, Equinix is deploying liquid cooling and its "Private AI with NVIDIA DGX" offering, while Digital Realty is expanding its AI-ready data halls. The race is on, and leadership hinges on the ability to provide not just space, but specialized environments engineered for extreme performance. NTT's planned investment of over $10 billion in data center expansion through 2027, with nearly $3 billion deployed in 2024 alone, signals its intent to build out this next-generation capacity at a global scale, from its massive new campus in Phoenix, Arizona, to its established hubs across EMEA and APAC.

Beyond Uptime: The Competitive Edge of Sustainable Colocation

As data centers consume an ever-larger share of global energy, sustainability has evolved from a corporate social responsibility checkbox into a core business imperative. For enterprises, partnering with a green data center provider is crucial for meeting their own ESG targets, mitigating regulatory risk, and managing spiraling energy costs. NTT DATA has embedded this principle into its operational strategy, setting ambitious goals to achieve Net-Zero emissions for its data centers by 2030 and across its entire value chain by 2040.

These are not just long-term aspirations. The company has made tangible progress, achieving 60% renewable energy usage for its non-IT load in fiscal year 2024 and securing 1.7 TWh of renewable energy through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Critically, NTT is leveraging technology to drive efficiency. The implementation of the AI-powered etaONE® platform at its Rhine-Ruhr 1 site in Germany, for example, reduced cooling system energy consumption by nearly 20%, proving that AI can be used to optimize the very infrastructure that supports it.

Furthermore, the company is pioneering circular economy principles with waste heat reuse projects. In Germany, initiatives to supply thermal waste heat to thousands of buildings in Berlin turn a data center byproduct into a valuable community resource. These efforts, combined with an average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.38, place NTT in a strong competitive position against rivals who are also making significant green strides. Digital Realty, for example, achieved 75% renewable energy coverage globally in 2024, while CyrusOne’s European operations run on 100% renewable energy. In this landscape, demonstrable progress in sustainability is a powerful differentiator that resonates with a growing cohort of climate-conscious clients.

The Integrated Advantage: Why Full-Stack Services Matter

Perhaps the most significant strategic advantage highlighted by the IDC MarketScape is NTT DATA's integrated service model. In a market crowded with pure-play colocation providers focused solely on space, power, and cooling, NTT stands out by offering a comprehensive, full stack of ICT services. This integration of its Global Data Centers division with the broader NTT DATA portfolio—spanning consulting, networking, security, and application services—creates a powerful value proposition.

For a multinational enterprise embarking on a complex AI or digital transformation project, the benefits are clear. Instead of stitching together services from a dozen different vendors, they can work with a single strategic partner. This streamlines procurement, reduces integration complexity, and lowers overall risk. When a client colocates its high-density AI hardware in an NTT facility, it can also leverage NTT's expertise to design the underlying network architecture, secure the hybrid cloud environment, and manage the entire infrastructure lifecycle.

This end-to-end capability is particularly crucial for navigating the digital risks inherent in today's landscape. Deploying generative AI, for example, requires more than just powerful servers; it demands a secure, high-throughput, low-latency network and a robust cybersecurity posture to protect sensitive data and models. By providing these services under one roof, NTT DATA helps clients accelerate innovation while simultaneously de-risking their technology investments. This integrated approach transforms the client-provider relationship from a transactional one into a strategic partnership, a distinction that pure-play competitors find difficult to replicate and a key reason for its continued dominance in the market.